Improved apparatus for treating ores



R. SPENCER. I APPARATUS FOR TREATING TORES.

No. 47,874. Patented Maya? 1865.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-10E.

ROBERT SPENCER, on NEW YORK, n. Y.

IMPROVEDAPPARATUS FOR TREATING ones.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,874. dated May 23, 1865.

.To an whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ROBERT SPENoEa, of the city and county of New York, State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Treating Ores; vand I do hereby declare that the following is a full,rclear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part" sent the walls of my apparatus, which may be of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective .view of my de-- sulphurator and amalgamator combined, the

front" part of the machine being left open. Fig. 2 is a top View of the feeder, which is arranged'at the rear end of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the centerof the machine. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the apparatus.

Similar letters of reference indicate corres pondin g parts in the several figures.

This. invention relates particularly to the treatment of tailings or powdered ore, or sand containing precious metals, for thepurpose of separating the particles of metal from the matrix. I,

The first part of my invention relates to the amalgamation of the metals and the washing of the same by means of an apparatus, which consists of WYQSSGI having a ridged bottom and a series of revolving floats or stirrers, which latter are so arranged as to create two opposing currents or waves of the mercury during the process of mixing the'ore-sand with it, and to dash one wave into another in such manner that the atoms of metal are thoroughly agitated and mingled with the mercury, as will be hereinafter described;

-M y invention also consists in providing the amalgamating-vessel with vertical sides and longitudinal troughs, which latter conductoft the muddy water during the operation of' washing and-amalgamatin g, aswill be herein-' after described. y

Another object of my invention is to partially surround the vessel in which the amalgam atin g an d washin g processes are performed with a chamber which is'ad'apted for contain ing water to be warmed and kept warm, for the purpose of rendering the mercury thin and keeping it in a good condition to dissolve the metahas will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is tocombine an amalgamator which employs a warmwatenjacket with a furnace having calcining vessels arranged within it, so thatithe heat of thefurnace will not only-calcine or desulphur he the ore, but keep the amalgamating-vessel made of metal or masonry.

In some cases I shall construct the entire apparatus of me'tal and'mount it upon wheels, so that it can be readily transported from one point to another; and'in some cases I shall construct the walls -and arches of the appara-. tus of masonry.

If desirable, the foundation of the appara-' tus may be made of masonry and the upper portion of metal. Y

'B B Bfare cylinders, whicliare arranged within a furnace, G, and extend in a longitudi- V rial direction from oneend to the other of the WallsA A, and at these ends said cylinders are supported upon friction-rollers, which allow the cylinders to be rotated freely.. At one end of the apparatus is a furnace, Q, the flue a of whioh 'extends back under the cylinders 13 and communicates with the smoke line or chimney O". V

Above the cylinders =13 is a chamber, D, and above this is a vessel, E, having a central ridge, 5, extending along-its bottom. The sides of this vessel extend up nearly to the top of the side walls, A A, and terminate in troughsc c, which extend in a longitudinal 1 direction from one end to the other of the apparatus and terminate at one end in inclined troughs '0 c ,which lead into a tank, F. The troughs c 0 form covers forthe side passages of the hot-water chamber D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and they are intended for con ducting oif the muddy water from the vessel E during the process of washing and amal gamatin'g. The vessel E is covered by an arch, E, through which holes are made at. d d, that should be covered with gauze or finelyperforated plates; Through theseholes the muddy'water escapes fromthe vessel E and entersfthe troughs c c, from which it flows into the tank F, where it is allowed to settle. This tank F is elevated toalsufficient height to admit of the use ofpipes-ce, which lead from side tanks, F E into the chamber D, and- "with perforated bottoms.

-keep the water at .the proper height in this E. Within this vessel E are two horizontalshafts, h h, extending. longitudinally through the apparatus, and to these shafts arms h it, having paddles or floats k 11.? secured to them,

are applied, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. These ,shafts h hhare rotated-in opposite directions to each other, so as to produce two opposin g currents ofthe mercury, or mercury and sand, which will meet each other and break (1 irectl y over the intermediate elevation, i

b,.ot the vessel E. The bottom of the-vessel Eis so formed that the paddles it work close to it and dashtthe mercury and sand from one side of the vessel to the other. -The upper edges of the partitions which separate the chamber Ffrom the side chambers, F, are provided with strainers, through which the water .which overflows the chamber F passes and empties into the'side chambers, F F. These strainers are intended for filtering or partially purifying the water, so that muddy water will not flow into the vessel D from the side chambers. In Figs. 1', 2, and 3 I have represented elevators applied to the chamber F, consisting of an endless band of buckets j j,'so arranged as to carry ofi' the mud which settles tothe bottom ohthechamber F, and to'leave the watcr'behin'd. Such buckets will be provided.

\ I also propose employin endless bands of buckets for conducting thedry sand into the amalgamating-vessel E through 'the liopper 'g'.

H represents a vessel into which the sand containing metal is put, and from which the cylinders B B B are supplied. This vessel 11 communicates with the three cylinders by means of short pipes K, which may be provilded' with valves or screws, by which the supply of sand can be regulated.

in .practice I shall incline the bottom of the vessel H and also the feeding-tubes and provide this vessel with a cover, so. as to prevent the rapid escape of the sulphurous gas from the cylinders, or, rather, from this vessel. The cylinders B may incline toward the fur-t nace O, or they may be arranged in a horizon,

,tal plane, and provided on their inside surfaces with ribs of a spiral or screw form, so

as to impel the sand slowly through them and discharge it into the water-tank J, as

shown in Fig. 3. These cylinders may all be rotated by means of spur-wheels l, whichare arranged outside of the furnace, and these spur wheels may engage with spur-wheels m on the ends of the shafts h of the paddles.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The sand containing metal is put into the vessel H and slowly passed through the described.

highly-heated cylinders B B B and discharged into the water-tank J During the passage of the sand through the cylinders B the sulphur will be thrown off and burned or allowed to escape into the vessel H, and immediately after this desulphurating process the sand, while in a hi ghly-heated state, is suddenly dropped into water, which-has the effect of disintegrating the atoms of quartz and ex-' posing the metal. From the bath the sand isconveyed into the amalgamating-vessel E, through the hopper g, where it is subjected to the action of the heaters or fans 11 h andthe mercury.

.. It desirable, the sand may be washed before mcrcury'is put into the vessel E; but I prefer to employ water during the amalgamating process "for washing out and dissolving the more soluble particles of the matrix. .When the heaters on the shafts h h are rotated very rapidly,'there will bea very violent agitation of the contents of the vessel E, and the water will be thrown out through the openings at. a a into the troughs c a, from which it will escape into the vessels F F, F, to be again used for keeping the amalgamating-vessel E warm and preventing the bottom of this vessel from rapid destruction by the heat of the furnace 0 below.

, Having thus described my invention, what I claim'as new, and desire to secure by I otters Patent, is- 4 1. Applying a series of revolving or oscillating wings or paddles within a vessel, E, which is constructed with a ce ntral ridge, a,

over which the currents of mercury are interamalgamating-vessel havingrevolving agitators arranged within it, substantially as described.

3. The receiving-troughs c c, in combination with a perforated cover, E, to the amalgamating-vessel, substantially as described.

4. Conducting the waste water from the amalgamating-vessel into the chamber D, sub-. stantially as described.

5. The feeding-vessel H, in combination with two or more movable cylinders, B, cominunicatiu g with said vessel, substantially as 6. The use of a water-chamber, 'D, partially surrounding an; amalgamating-vessel, whether it is mounted over a furnace or not, substantially as described.

7 The combination of one or' more rotating or oscillating cylinders, B, with an amalgamau ing-vessel and a furnace, O, substantially as described.

Witness my hand in the matter of my application for a patent for treating ores.

' ROBT. SPENCER. Witnesses:

R, CAMPBELL, E. SoH'AFnR. 

